Renowned lawyer Anna Chernova spoke about the situation surrounding the Almaty Regional Children's Home No. 1.
“How did it happen that the land of Children's Home No. 1 is no longer its property? There is information in the media mentioning both the construction of a residential complex and Aliya Nazarbayeva? Akimat of Almaty, do you have a response? Children are being sent to some unfinished building in Konev. There are no utilities or infrastructure there, but nearby are four correctional colonies. Apparently, our officials thought it was nice for children to have a prison as a neighbor. And why would they care about a prestigious area in Almaty? What difference does it make where orphans live?” wrote Chernova on Instagram.
According to the lawyer, trees have already been cut down on the premises of the children's home, and the building itself has allegedly been deemed unsafe.
“At the moment, they want to relocate our children's home. They are cutting down trees and turning our territory into something unbearable. It is becoming impossible to live here. They want to move us to Kapchagay (Konev — ed. note), where there’s steppe and a prison. They want to shove us there. Please help us. We do not want to leave this children's home; it is our family home. Please help,” said a former resident of the children's home, Kirill Kapranov.
On the morning of March 3, activists, journalists, alumni, and residents of the institution gathered outside the children's home in the Baganashil neighborhood. The children complained that “they were forbidden to communicate with the media.” No one from the leadership dared to come out to the outraged crowd. The entire administration is away, said the security guard of the children's home.
“They are not letting us in. They wanted to carry everything out without expecting a public outcry. We reached out to Aruzhan Sain yesterday, and we will prepare requests and schedule a meeting with the akim (Yerbolat Dosaev — ed. note) and our prosecutor's office to ensure the children are left alone. Let them keep this house. The situation is completely unclear, even with these cut-down fir trees. They are on the state’s balance; how were they dug up and taken away? The children say they were sold,” Chernova reported.
Activists claim that “an attractive piece of land is being taken from the children,” which is why they are being relocated to the Almaty region. The new children's home is planned to be located 20 kilometers from Konev in the village of “Zarechnoye.”
Here is what the territory of the future children's home, where orphans are being offered to live, looks like now.
“There is no medicine, education, or infrastructure there. Children are being relocated because their home has allegedly been deemed unsafe. We request documents, reports, and conclusions, but we receive no response. They remain silent,” said an activist named Yulia.
The situation has been highlighted by well-known human rights defender Aruzhan Sain. She filmed a video at Children's Home No. 1 to prove that the building is not unsafe at all.
Attempts by activists and journalists to speak with the administration of the children's home ended in failure. They were not even allowed at the checkpoint — the guard stated that “the management is currently away, and he was instructed not to let anyone in.”
So far, only the Almaty region's education department has commented on the situation. They stated that the construction of the children's home is proceeding according to the approved plan, writes Zakon.
“The choice of the site for the children's home is based on several factors, including compliance with sanitary and environmental standards, as well as the potential for further development of social infrastructure,” officials stated.
After the construction is completed, children are promised all the necessary infrastructure: paved roads, lighting, utilities, and landscaping of the area.
Children's Home No. 1 plans to relocate to Konev in the summer of 2025, when the children's school sessions end.